President and mayor thank community for spring behavior

Ohio University President Roderick J. McDavis and Athens City Mayor Paul Wiehl thanked the community on Friday for its efforts to increase safety and civility this spring. The letter is below:

June 3, 2011

Dear Athens Neighbors,

The purpose of our letter is to thank you for your part in our combined efforts to increase safety and civility in Athens neighborhoods during the spring season. Athens residents young and old, along with City and University representatives, engaged in efforts to address concerns that arose after previous years’ incidents of dangerous behaviors at private parties.

Together we actively promoted a call to “be smart, be civil and be safe” as a way to prevent dangerous actions that cause property damage, excessive noise, injuries to individuals, violent acts against law enforcement officers, and other very negative outcomes for those who live and work in the City of Athens.

While there is always more progress to make, this spring there were no reports of life-threatening injuries, or fires. All streets remained open to vehicular traffic, and property damage was minimal. Increased efforts in proactive communication supported a strong law enforcement presence.

We thank all who made this progress possible, including students, City and University representatives who walked door-to-door each week throughout the spring, the men and women of law enforcement and, most importantly, our friends and neighbors who demonstrated respect and civility for our community.

There are, of course, more challenges ahead. Some of them we know about, some will be surprises. We are, however, confident of our ability to work together to meet those challenges. We thank you for your support as we work together to make Athens a great place for all!